Howard also stressed that creator Mitch Hurwitz is still attempting to push the boundaries of comedy, rather than rely on nostalgia for the old series.

"It's been away for a while, and part of the fun that Mitch has been mining and exploiting is, what's new to discover about these people? What's delightfully unchanged?" the director revealed.

Howard further commented: "He and the writing staff and the actors have a fantastic sense of that. They're pretty brazen, pretty bold and fearless. That's what made the show into something that fans really kept alive."

Arrested Development will stream its new season on Netflix in the UK and the US in 2013.

The original series was honored with six Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe throughout its three-season run on Fox.